Learning About Ancestors Through Homestead Records – An Interview with Katie Merkley

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch talks to Rick Crume about the exciting features offered in Family Tree Maker 2024. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/FTM-01-2026-2.mp3 Feature: Family Tree Maker 2024 Family Tree Maker 2024 is here! Rick Crume and Andrew Koch talk about the many features this program offers compared to earlier versions of the program and how genealogists can benefit from these features. Also mentioned in this episode: The Many Unique Features of Family Tree Maker 2024 Family Tree Maker’s Workspaces The Strengths and Limitations of Family Tree Maker 2024 Other Genealogy Software Options Visit Our Sponsor: VoiceGift What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time. Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations. Find your voice at www.voice.gift Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Your Host Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of Best Websites, genealogist Caitlin Hollander Waas talks with Lisa about Jewish genealogy and the tools at JewishGen that can help with the process. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/BW-12-2025.mp3 Best Genealogy Websites: JewishGen.org In this episode, Lisa Louise Cooke  welcomes Caitlin Hollander Waas, the chief genealogist at JewishGen.org, to the podcast. They discuss the intricacies of researching Jewish ancestry and the invaluable tools and resources available at JewishGen. Guest: Caitlin Hollander Waas, Chief Genealogist at JewishGenVisit the website:https://jewishgen.com/ Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch and Lisa Louise Cooke look back on all that has happened in the world of genealogy in 2025. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/2025-12-FTM.mp3 Feature: 2025 – The Genealogy Year in Review As we close out the year, we’re taking a look back at the moments that shaped our pursuit of genealogy in 2025. Lisa Louise Cooke’s guest is Andrew Koch, editor of Family Tree Magazine.  He’s here to share his expert perspective on the biggest genealogy news stories of the year and what they mean for you, the family historian, moving forward.  Mentioned in this episode: New/significantly updated websites for several important genealogy resources include FamilySearch Catalog, Chronicling America, the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, WikiTree, and the Irish National Archives. FamilySearch Full-Text Search moved out of beta and into main part of the site. Records are continually being added so it’s worth checking regularly. MyHeritage finishes Name and Stories Indexes added French-language papers from Canada.Elephind.com has been relaunched. It’s a great resource for searching multiple disparate newspaper collections at once. Watch Lisa Louise Cooke’s interview with the founder of Elephind.com for the story behind the relaunch and recommended search strategies. Visit Our Sponsor: Newspapers.com Use promo code ‘FamilyTreeMagazine’ for a 20% discount on your subscription. Sign up today at Newspapers.com and embark on a journey of discovery! Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Your Host Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of Best Websites, Katherine Schober highlights how Matricula Online can help you locate church registers. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/BW-11-2025.mp3 Best Genealogy Websites: Matricula Online Matricula Online is a specialized digital archive where you can find church registers (mostly books of birth, marriage and death) from various European countries (currently Austria, Germany, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia). German genealogy expert and translator Katherine Schober of Germanology Unlocked joins Lisa Louise Cooke on the podcast to explore this valuable and free website. Visit Matricula Online at https://data.matricula-online.eu/en/   Visit Our Sponsor Newspapers.com Use promo code ‘FamilyTreeMagazine’ for a 20% discount on your subscription. Sign up today at Newspapers.com and embark on a journey of discovery! Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Rhonda Lauritzen offers practical tips for organizing your family history writing projects. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/10-2025-FTM.mp3 Organizing Your Family History Writing Projects Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer at Evalogue.Life and a regular speaker at international conferences. She has written a dozen books and has been hired to help tell the stories of families, cities, and nonprofits. As an expert storyteller, Rhonda is joining us today to share how to efficiently write well-organized, gripping family history projects. Read In the Write Order by Rhonda Lauritzen in the Nov / Dec 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine. Organizing Your Family History Writing Projects In this article, Rhonda Lauritzen offers strategies for managing family history writing projects to avoid overwhelm. Family Tree Magazine /* Embedded-box css */ .embedded-box{ padding: 25px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; color: #82878c; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #e5e5e5; box-shadow: 0 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,.05); overflow: auto; zoom: 1; font-family: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif; } .acf-embed-title{ margin: 0 0 15px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3; } .acf-embed-description { display: inline-block; } .acf-embed-description img { float: left; max-width: 160px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; } .wp-embed-site-title a{ position: relative; display: inline-block; padding-left: 35px; } .wp-embed-site-title span { color: #82878c; text-decoration: none; font-weight: 600; } .wp-embed-site-icon { position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 0; transform: translateY(-50%); height: 25px; width: 25px; border: 0; padding-bottom: 0px!important; } Visit Our Sponsor: Newspapers.com Use promo code ‘FamilyTreeMagazine’ for a 20% discount on your subscription. Sign up today at Newspapers.com and embark on a journey of discovery! Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Your Host Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of Best Websites, Daniel Loftus offers some valuable tips for using Find a Grave with more efficiency and respect for others in mind. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/BW-10-25.mp3 Best Genealogy Websites: Find a Grave  Daniel Loftus, Genealogist and Creator of Project Infant,joins Lisa Louise Cooke to discuss best practices for using the Find a Grave website for genealogy. At Find a Grave you can search for the graves of your ancestors, create virtual memorials,add photographs,leave virtual flowers and a note on a loved one’s memorial, and even search graves of famous people from around the world. Guest: Daniel Loftus Websites and Links Visit Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/ Visit Our Sponsor Newspapers.com Use promo code ‘FamilyTreeMagazine’ for a 20% discount on your subscription. Sign up today at Newspapers.com and embark on a journey of discovery! Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Robbie Gorr provides tips for the mastering the cemetery transcription. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/10-25-2025.mp3 Feature: Cemetery Transcription Amateur genealogist and historian Robbie Gorr explains everything you need to know for successful Cemetery Transcription. Read Zen and the Art of Cemetery Transcription by Robbie Gorr in the September / October issue of Family Tree Magazine. How to Research Marriage Records for Genealogy Online resources mentioned in this episode: Find a Grave Billion Graves The War Graves Photographic Project JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry Canadian Headstones Visit Our Sponsor Newspapers.com Use promo code ‘FamilyTreeMagazine’ for a 20% discount on your subscription. Sign up today at Newspapers.com and embark on a journey of discovery! Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of Best Websites, Lisa Louise Cooke highlights some of the most valuable features of Veridian, an excellent resource for finding historical newspapers. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/2025-09-BW.mp3 Best Genealogy Websites: Veridian In this episode of the Best Websites for Genealogy Podcast, host Lisa Louise Cooke explores Veridian, and its millions of historic newspaper pages searchable and accessible online. Learn what Veridian, the scope of the collections and strategies for accessing the archival content. Whether you’re hunting for obituaries, wedding announcements, or everyday details that bring your ancestors’ lives into focus, Veridian offers a unique and free resource for your research. Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Your Host Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Lisa Louise Cooke speaks to Katie Merkley about homestead records and what they can tell us about ancestors. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/09-2025-FTM.mp3 Feature: Homesteading Records and Research In this episode, we’re digging into the lives of our American ancestors through land records—specifically, homestead records. When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law in 1862, it offered settlers a bold promise: free land in exchange for a commitment to improve it. This opportunity drew thousands of families westward in pursuit of a new beginning. But there was a catch—qualifying for that land required detailed documentation and years of effort. While it may have been a bureaucratic challenge for our ancestors, that very paperwork has become a treasure trove for today’s genealogists. Homestead applications often include personal details, affidavits from neighbors, naturalization records, and more, providing an extraordinary window into our family’s past. Websites mentioned in this episode: Bureau of Land Management GLO: https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx Earthpoint (Plot legal land descriptions in Google Earth): https://www.earthpoint.us/ Katie Merkley’s website: https://krgarnergenealogy.com/ National Archives – The Homestead Act of 1862 https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homestead-act A Genealogist’s Guide to Homesteading Records and Research This article explains what homesteading entails and how genealogists can find and use homesteading records in their own research. Family Tree Magazine /* Embedded-box css */ .embedded-box{ padding: 25px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; color: #82878c; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #e5e5e5; box-shadow: 0 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,.05); overflow: auto; zoom: 1; font-family: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif; } .acf-embed-title{ margin: 0 0 15px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3; } .acf-embed-description { display: inline-block; } .acf-embed-description img { float: left; max-width: 160px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; } .wp-embed-site-title a{ position: relative; display: inline-block; padding-left: 35px; } .wp-embed-site-title span { color: #82878c; text-decoration: none; font-weight: 600; } .wp-embed-site-icon { position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 0; transform: translateY(-50%); height: 25px; width: 25px; border: 0; padding-bottom: 0px!important; } Sign up for Our Free Genealogy Newsletter: Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels: Facebook Instagram Threads YouTube Join the thousands of genealogists who rely on Family Tree Magazine for the latest news and advice. Follow us today and start your journey of discovery! Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website, and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.

In this episode of Best Websites, website founder Jenny Joyce of Cite-Builder.com shows the value of a proper citation and how Cite-Builder makes citation more manageable. https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/2025-08-BW.mp3 In this episode, we dive into the world of genealogy with Jenny Joyce, the creator of Cite-Builder, an online citation generator designed specifically for genealogists. Discover how Cite-Builder streamlines the often daunting task of creating source citations, making it easier for researchers to track and verify their findings. Jenny shares insights on the importance of proper citation, the variety of templates available, and how her platform supports different citation styles. Visit Cite-Builder.com Use coupon code FTM20  to receive a 20% discount on your first-year subscription. Stay in the Know Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get: Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics Exclusive offers on new tools and resources Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels! Your Host Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.